Firefighters hopeful of containing deadly blaze

Firefighters are hopeful they will soon have a ferocious fire in southern Queensland under control. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Heartbreaking stories of loss have emerged as firefighters look to finally contain a deadly blaze in southern Queensland.

Residents are still unable to return to Tara, west of Brisbane, after hundreds were forced to flee the ferocious fire that claimed one life and destroyed 16 homes.

A body was found on Tuesday night in the fire-ravaged region, which is yet to be identified.

A 73-year-old woman also died after suffering a heart attack while trying to evacuate her property.

The erratic blaze has burned more than 11,000 hectares over four days.

But firefighters were hopeful they would soon have it under control, saying on Thursday it was "80 per cent contained".

Property destroyed by bushfire near Tara in Queensland.
A ferocious fire in the Tara region has claimed lives and destroyed homes while forcing evacuations.

"If plans go well today and the weather behaves itself for us we should have that fire in a containment area tonight," Queensland Rural Fire Service (QRFS) regional manager Wayne Waltisbuhl told reporters.

"Forty-two units are currently at the Tara job wrapping that up.

"That's a significant move and great work by the crews to achieve that."

Crews from across the state arrived to assist amid fears the fire would threaten Tara, prompting the relocation of hundreds of evacuees to Dalby and Chinchilla late on Wednesday.

There are 239 people now at Dalby and 28 at Chinchilla.

Some have lost everything.

Johann Lottering has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for his parents who had moved to Tara to retire.

Mr Lottering said his father was able to evacuate before their home was destroyed.

"Dad got out with his two dogs and the clothes on his back - it is heartbreaking," he told AAP.

Mr Lottering said he felt helpless when hearing about the fire while he was in South Australia, but thankful his father was safe.

His mother was visiting family in Brisbane when the fire hit.

"Dad spent all his money on that property so that could be their retirement - they have lost absolutely everything," he said.

Dimitrios Georgiadis was also hopeful of raising money for his good mate Gavin Creamer who lost his home to the fire.

"Gavin managed to evacuate with his two dogs but unfortunately could not locate his two cats in the process," he said on his GoFundMe page.

A wind change and light showers late on Wednesday looked set to turn the tide for fatigued firefighters in the Tara region before lightning struck, causing five new blazes.

"If anything it created more issues for our firies," Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh said of the storm.

"While it cooled down a bit, they had a very, very busy night."

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services vehicle.
Lightning strikes had caused further blazes for firefighters to tackle in the Tara region.

A lightning strike also sparked a fire at nearby Halliford which has burned 200ha, with residents evacuating their homes and told it is not safe to return on Thursday.

Almost 150 firefighters were deployed to fight the Western Downs fires with 34 waterbombing aircraft available.

A recovery plan is now in place with machinery clearing roads at Tara and a team set to assess safety before residents are allowed to return.

A large fire on the Darling Downs was contained as conditions cooled on Thursday, after burning about 3000ha and destroying a house while forcing people into evacuation centres.

But QFRS Assistant Commissioner Peter Hollier warned Queensland was "not out of the woods yet".

An extreme fire danger was expected for the state's west on Friday with strong winds and high temperatures, he said.

Fire is threatening Undullah, southwest of Brisbane, with residents told to seek shelter immediately.

Overall there are 60 blazes still burning in Queensland, with fire bans in 56 local government areas.

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